Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma. The population of the city is 16,036. Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is: 79.84% White (12,803) 10.36% Other (1,661) 6.54% Black or African American (1,048) 3.27% Native American (524) 17.3% (2,774) of Chickasha residents live below the poverty line. Theft rate statistics Chickasha has average rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The city reported 9 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 1.35 murders a year. Pokemon See the Grady County page for more info. Fun facts * A prisoner of war camp established in 1944 is now the site of the Grady County Fairgrounds. * In 1908, the Oklahoma Industrial Institute and College for Girls was established in Chickasha. A local rancher named J. B. Sparks donated land for the school in memory of his daughter, Nellie. The girl was a Chickasaw descendant, and the land had been part of her allotment. The Nellie Sparks Dormitory commemorated her. The school was renamed as the Oklahoma College for Women in 1916. It became coeducational in 1965, and was renamed the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts. It was renamed again in 1975 as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. * Agriculture, particularly wheat production, and cattle raising have been important to the city's economy since its earliest days. Manufacturing became important about the middle of the 20th century. ArvinMeritor Replacement Parts and Delta Faucet opened facilities in the 1970s. * The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma hosts an annual festival, the Spring Triad, which is made up of the Montmartre Chalk Art Festival, the Droverstock music festival, and the Scholastic Meet. The event is held annually on the first Thursday of April. The art festival is held around the USAO Oval, where over 700 artists compete in a chalk art contest. Droverstock features over 12 hours of live music from various bands of all styles and genres. There are also many vendors, inflatables, and activities associated with the festival. The Scholastic Meet attracts around 1000 students annually from over 50 Oklahoma counties who compete in academic disciplines such as math, science, music, history, and other subjects. The competition is the largest academic meet in the state. Overall, the day-long event attracts thousands into the community. * The city's annual Festival of Light takes place at the 43-acre (170,000 m2) Shannon Springs Park and opens nightly from around Thanksgiving to the end of December. Concessions, carriage rides, pictures with Santa, and shopping are available. The Festival of Light has received many prestigious awards over the years including Regional Event of the Year, A.B.A. Top 100 Event, National Top 25 Holiday Event, Festival of the Year, Best Community Festival Event and Best Place to Take Out of Town Visitors. The festival has been featured statewide on Discover Oklahoma, ranked as a Top Place to Visit by Fine Living Network (2004), and designated as an official 2007 Oklahoma Centennial Event. Over 140 businesses and clubs sponsor the event in various ways. The installation of lights in 290 trees, 8 miles (13 km) of walk-ways, bridges, arbors, gazebos and buildings begins in September; however, it takes through March to get the lights taken down and stored away. More than 1,200 volunteers donate time and skill, and now Display Sponsors have reached the 100 mark. The park has over 3.5 million lights, and the crystal pedestrian bridge boasts over 75,000 lights alone. It draws together over a thousand local volunteers and more than 250,000 visitors from across the United States. * The Muscle Car Ranch located on the south edge of Chickasha hosts an annual swap meet and concert, which is held in August. The Ranch, located on 70 acres (280,000 m2) of a 1900s dairy farm, features hundreds of nostalgic advertisements and memorabilia representing the last 75 years of American history. The concert has featured rock and roll groups such as The Byrds, The Grass Roots, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Jefferson Airplane, The Lovin' Spoonful, Firefall, John Conlee, Dr. Hook and Bad Company. * Chickasha has a good bit of amenities to offer. It has a few shopping centers, Heritage Park Theatre, a municipal airport, dollar stores, Walmart, Nintendo World, Solstice Apparel, a contest hall and showcase theater, plenty of local restaurants and businesses, a few RV parks, a bit of hotels/motels, a swap meet, Atwoods, some fast food, Braum's, CVS, an AT&T store, two sports complexes, plenty of public battle fields, Save-A-Lot, Braum's, Anytime Fitness, and a few other things. Category:Oklahoma Cities